In United States v. Fordice the U.S. Supreme Court set out
standards for determining whether states that previously operated racially
segregated higher education systems have met their affirmative duty to dismantle
those systems and their vestiges under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution and Title VI. After the decision, OCR negotiated and entered into
agreements to eliminate such vestiges in Florida, Texas, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and Virginia.

During FY 2004, OCR continued to monitor the implementation of its higher
education agreements with the seven states. The states made progress in enhancing
the facilities of their historically black institutions. For example, Prairie
View A&M and Texas Southern are continuing to enhance their facilities
and also strengthen high demand academic programs. Florida made significant
progress in the graduation of minority students from its two-year community
colleges and increased the number of minority associate degree recipients who
enroll in the state university system. It also increased funding for need-based
and merit scholarships at its vocational schools, two-year colleges, and four-year
universities.